Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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572. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of the responsibilities of the Minister of State at the Department of Defence who is based in the Department of the Taoiseach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11434/16]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Paul Kehoe has been appointed as a Minister of State attending Government and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Defence with special responsibility for the Department of Defence.

Following this appointment, the Government have made the Defence (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2016 under the Minister and Secretaries (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1977 to delegate ministerial functions to Minister Kehoe. Under this Order, Minister Kehoe now has statutory responsibility for a wide range of Defence matters as specified in the Order. The principal powers delegated include the powers to make regulations under the Defence Acts 1954 to 2015 covering a wide range of Defence matters and personnel-related issues affecting members of the Defence Forces. In addition, Ministerial powers arising under other legislation relating to the Department of Defence have been delegated to Minister Kehoe.

On an overall level, primary responsibility for the Department of Defence will rest with me as Minister for Defence and I remain responsible to Dáil Éireann and as a member of the Government for the exercise and performance of the statutory powers and duties delegated. Every power or duty delegated to Minister Kehoe continues to be vested in me as Minister for Defence concurrently with the Minister of State and may be exercised or performed by either.